When Giuseppe Verdi was ten a local shopkeeper, struck by his education; ten years later Verdi was appointed conductor of the local choir and orchestra, and married his patron’s daughter. He had no particular ambition to become an opera-composer, and It was only with the unexpected popular success of his third opera. Nabucco, that he took up opera-writing seriously, at the age of twenty-nine. By 1853 he was Italy’s leading composer and remained in that distinguished position until his death in 1901.
Nabucco, Verdi’s first great success, is the only one of his operas-unless one counts that anvil chorus in Trovatore-that is best known for a chorus: the celebrated lamentation “Va, pensiero,” (The chorus of Hebrew Slaves) which immediately became the unofficial anthem of the Italian independence movement and, sixty years later, would be sung spontaneously by Milan’s heartbroken masses at Verdi’s funeral.
The overture was written at the last moment on the suggestion; it is said, of Verdi’s brother-in-law. Mostly it is a free pot-pourri of themes taken from the opera, including the great chorus “Va, pensiero’” Characterized emphasizes the processional aspect of the opera.
1 comment:
Interesting blog, it reminds me of Giuseppe Verdi, one of his most successful opera is La Traviata, which means “the fallen woman” or “the one who goes astray” and in context it connotes the loss of sexual innocence.
I tried to write a blog about it, hope you also like it https://stenote.blogspot.com/2019/06/an-interview-with-giuseppe.html.
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